


Taste of Love

by Azar443



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Animagus, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 06:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12007293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azar443/pseuds/Azar443
Summary: It’s well known throughout the Department of Magical Security that Percival Graves, Director and Senior Auror, is an Animagus. What people don’t know however, is the form the formidable wizard takes.





	Taste of Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Funkspiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Funkspiel/gifts).



It’s well known throughout the Department of Magical Security that Percival Graves, Director and Senior Auror, is an Animagus. What people don’t know however, is the form the formidable wizard takes, although everyone will agree that they think it’s a powerful, majestic creature, like the man is. There are bets placed by the Aurors about Percival’s Animagus form, and the most popular choice is an eagle. The second most popular choice is a bit of a joke, but some Aurors think it mightn’t be too far of a stretch. Percival smirks a little when he hears whispers of how his Animagus form is a ferocious dragon who breathes fire and eats people who piss him off. He says nothing to contradict that notion, but the next time someone screws up royally, he silently casts a spell that causes smoke to roll dramatically out of his nose, and the Auror’s eyes roll into the back of his head before he’s out cold on the floor. His people are particularly efficient for an entire week.

* * *

When Newt learns about Percival being an Animagus and sees the man transform for the first time, the Auror swears that the magizoologist’s freckles are very much dancing with joy. And because he likes Newt, Percival Graves sits patiently on his haunches as Newt excitedly runs his hands over Percival’s dark, velvety fur and lifts his large paws and press on the dark coloured paw pads. His tail twitches rather irately when Newt opens his jaw wide and checks on each of his teeth;  _surely_  he knew how best to care for his own teeth! 

He purrs happily though, when Newt gives him a good rub and pat, and he dozes off in Newt’s case still in Animagus form, with the welcome weight of the lanky man against him. Percival makes it a point to visit the case and have a good romp about as a panther after that. It doesn’t matter if Newt isn’t always there, but there’s a little leap that Percival’s heart makes when he sees the red-head amble about, feeding this creature or making notes about new additions (he’ll strangle anyone who says he’s in love with the man. Because he’s  _not_ ). 

 _Anyway_. He makes friends with Newt’s creatures, who crowd around him when he first appears in the case as a man. Some are wary, while some, like the insufferably adorable Niffler who immediately nicks his pocket watch, take to him immediately. Dougal the Demiguise is drawn to him instantly, and when his furry hand latches onto Percival’s, the man tightens his grip instinctively, because Dougal looks up at him with the most trusting of orbs that it reminds him of warmth and the love of family and friends and Newt only smiles when Percival looks up at him with tears that have come unbidden to his dark eyes.When Percival first transforms into the panther, the Mooncalves squeal and run away to hide behind Newt’s back because  _Mummy what is that black creature? Will it eat us?_  But with gentle coaxing from their caretaker, they eventually crane their long necks from behind and slowly trot back to the feline. They sniff at him inquisitively, letting out little whinnies as they get used to the strange creature who doesn’t smell quite right. The panther only blinks lazily at them and when one brave Mooncalf gets close enough, he licks the gentle creature’s head affectionately, which earns him a happy nicker and innocent head butt. The other Mooncalves immediately crowd around him after, each wanting to meet their new friend. Percival the panther patiently grants each of them a tender lick on their soft heads, and Newt can’t help but laugh because of  _course_  his creatures would be charmed by Percival. He thinks he’s not immune to the other wizard’s charm too, when he turns eyes that reflect the sun and light and darkness towards him, a gaze that makes him blush prettily as he turns away with the excuse of tending to work. The panther snorts in amusement, and he settles contentedly under the shade of a tree still surrounded by magical creatures.

* * *

When Percival is out on a mission, only the third since his complete recovery from Grindelwald’s torture, he’s badly hurt. It stings his pride and ego that an amateur wizard, one nowhere near his calibre of skill, manages to hit him with a spell that cuts deep into his side, and his coat is stained the shade of blood, and he can feel the strain of each breath and dark spots are flying about his eyes. But of  _course_  he doesn’t go to the hospital, of  _course_  he insists his Aurors receive treatment from the medi-witches, and of  _course_  he insists he’s fine. Because he has to be. Because he can see the fear in his people’s eyes that he might be taken from them again, and he assures his brave people, battered and bruised but  _alive_ , that he’s going nowhere and Hades can wait till he’s done with life to take him down to Tartarus. There’s a cacophony of protests that he’s  _actually_  going to hell, but that’s another story for another time.

He limps away when the reports are made and the paperwork is filed, leaving alarming trails of blood along the way, and he thanks whatever gods that exist that Newt’s case is in the man’s office, where it usually is. He doesn’t see Newt, but he’s past the point of caring as he forces the latches open with trembling hands and unseeing eyes, and through pure muscle memory, he stumbles his way down the stairs and through the wooden shack and into the wide expanse of Newt’s world. He’s kneeling on the soft green grass, moaning like a wounded animal and through sheer bull-headedness, manages to force his body to change. Bit by agonising bit, his hands and feet stretch into black furred limbs that are shaking with the effort of the transformation, and his ears are drooping and he’s panting and when he’s finally animal and not man, he collapses with a guttural scream that startles even the nearby Nundu, who’s napping happily on its large perch. Newt’s creatures flock to the exhausted but whole animal, who bears no sign of the wounds that plagued his human body, chittering anxiously and not knowing what to do, but Mummy will! Mummy can save their friend! Dougal hoots fretfully and he pets the panther lying prone on the grass before he leaps out of the case in search of Newt. Percival is safe for now, but he still needs someone to tend to the wounds his human body has sustained.

It’s nearly an hour before Newt comes barrelling down the case, Dougal hanging onto his neck and chattering anxiously. The lanky man is all long limbs and red curls as he rushes to Percival, whose body is no longer shaking but the low growl he emits is enough to worry the Magizoologist. Thank goodness he’s had the presence of mind to call for medi-witches when Dougal comes screeching frantically at him, and his freckled face pales when he hears Percival is badly hurt. Kneeling before the beautiful creature whose ribcage is heaving with laboured breaths, he pulls out various vials of potions and makes Percival down them, coaxing his powerful jaw open with soothing strokes and soft murmurs, and later, when Percival is recovering in bed, he thinks Newt’s voice sounds like home.

By the time the medical team arrives, Newt has gotten Percival to revert to his human form and has blood soaked clothes pressed tightly against the wound, and had Percival been conscious, he would have greatly appreciated the sight of Newt’s muscular chest littered with varying sizes of scars. The director is floated onto a stretcher and out of the case, and Newt is trailing behind, his gait jumpy and hands that don’t know what to do with themselves tightly wrung. He pauses when the doors of the infirmary close before him, and he wonders just why he’s so terribly worried for a man he’s known for all of two months, and the answer is hammering on his heart but Newt’s been alone for so long that he’s almost forgotten what love is.

* * *

When Percival’s eyes open to the depressingly white ceiling of the hospital room, the first thing he does is ask for Newt. The nurse in charge is a matronly woman who hides a smile behind her hand and when she calls for Newt, she tells the blushing red head that his sweetheart is asking for him. He doesn’t bother correcting her, because his feet are leading him into the room, and he lets out an unwitting sigh at how  _gorgeous_  unkempt Percival with soft floppy hair is. There’s a shy smile on his face when Percival asks him to sit, and they spend the next few hours in whispered conversations, and when the dark-haired Auror sleepily asks Newt out for dinner this Friday before he slips off to slumber, he’s rewarded by the brightest and most heart-stopping smile from Newt, who pecks him on the cheek and fumbles for an excuse afterwards. Percival only smirks tiredly as he catches Newt by the hand and tugs him in for a proper kiss, and as he drifts off to sleep, Newt’s cheeks are a flaming red that matches his fiery hair. When he opens the door, he’s met by cooing Aurors who shake his hand profusely and tell him he’s good for their boss, and there are threats by a few of the senior Aurors that they know how to hide dead bodies, if he ever hurts Percival. Unbeknownst to them, a smiling Percival hears their every word, and when it’s time to receive their monthly pay check, everyone is delighted when there’s a sizable bonus and neat handwritten notes with the words  _thank you_  scrawled onto them. His Aurors are the biggest cheerleaders in their new relationship really, and when it’s time for his date with Newt, he doesn’t mind at all when they crowd in his office and push him out of the building, with earnest advice and even a few tears shed because their Percy is all grown up and dating and  _Goldstein if you finish that sentence you’ll be stuck in Wand Permits forever_. When Percival sees Newt off to his rented apartment, eyes bright and hearts full, he learns two things. One is that he’s the luckiest man ever because he has his family, and two, he’s just kissed the most gorgeous man on earth and he tastes like pineapple and cinnamon and everything soft and warm. Most of all, he tastes like  _love_.


End file.
